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Destination ‘So You Think You Can Dance’: Mark Kanemura tells all

August 5, 2008 | 5:20
pm

During his farewell interview with the media, recently eliminated “So You Think You Can Dance” contestant Mark Kanemurawas as fun and wacky as his trademark dance style. Here are a few choice quotes from his interview.

On mohawked choreographer Sonya Tayeh:

“I feel like we’re from the same planet.”

On being a self-proclaimed “runway coach”:

“My friends and I like to put on music and whatnot, and some of my friends have entered pageants; two of my good friends actually were finalists in the Miss America pageant and the Miss USA pageant, and so it was fun. We would always joke around and have little walk-offs to music and everything. It was just something fun that we’d do like in clubs or amongst each other.”

He may be Hawaiian, but Mark Kanemura is no water baby:

“I’m fearful when I get into the deep water and I surf and everything. Like, I get a little scared of possibly seeing sharks and stuff. So I get a little scared of that. But I do surf.

Mark’s bashful side:

“The funny thing is that I get nervous when I have to freestyle or dance-off. I’m usually the person that’s kind of on the side and likes to observe everyone else and what’s going on and whatnot.”

“Kherington and I, oh my gosh, like they gave us probably my worst dance on the show, which was the country two-step. And I cannot even explain to you how hard that was. It was so difficult.”

So, did anybody leave too early?

“I was really shocked when Will [Wingfield] left, just because he’s crazy amazing. I feel like Kourtni [Lind] had a lot to offer too, like artistically and everything. I don’t know if she really got to show what she’s capable of.”

“The week previous to that we were both in the bottom two, so I think we both just came in with this fire that we just really wanted to work as hard as we could and show America why we were still in the competition.”

“It was just an awesome, awesome way to leave the competition because we worked so well together … Like I feel it just came naturally, and it was totally like smooth sailing with her.”

On leaving the same week as his original partner, Chelsie:

“I was like, oh my gosh, Chelsie, like we started together and now we’re ending together. For me, I think it’s kind of cool. I think it’s neat to end with the person that you started with. It was very sentimental.”

On his emotional state, after everything:

“Honestly, I am feeling –- I know it sounds like, oh, he’s just covering up his emotions or whatever -– but I’m feeling really, really, really happy actually with just everything. Like I just feel like everything lined up for me to leave on an awesome, awesome note as far as who I got to work with this week. I’m really happy that I was able to stay true to myself through the whole process, and I’m, not in like a conceited way, but I really am proud of myself, and in my own aspect I feel like I’ve won. So, I’m actually really good right now, I’m really, really good.”